Horses are a core pastime for many people in the UK, whether it’s the 2.4 million people who ride or the 13% of people who like to bet on sports including horse racing. If you are one of those people who love the world of horses, you may be pleased to hear that the establishment is playing its part in helping to protect the planet.

Sustainability is high on the priority list for organisations like the Jockey Club, as well as individual riders and even top bookmakers. Let’s look at how this works in more detail.

Participants reducing the environmental impacts

The Jockey Club published its intentions regarding sustainability in a mission statement. These ambitions included to no longer send waste to landfills by 2020. They actually met this target in 2018. The organisation also set a target to produce 10% less waste which it exceeded in 2019.

Impressively, all courses stopped used plastic straws and stirrers in 2018 and many of them introduced reusable plastic cups in 2019. Courses are also making a difference in terms of energy usage. Solar panels are installed at Exeter, Newmarket, and Cheltenham.

It’s not just the Jockey Club that is making a concerted effort when it comes to protecting the environment; the respected publication Horse & Hound has also provided riders with sustainability ideas including:

Thinking about the packaging options for horse feed and making environmentally friendly choices.

Reducing the amount of packaging required by using secure feed bins and other similar storage items.

Considering ways to reduce water usage including the use of automatic drinkers.

Choosing riding clothing that is made in an eco-friendly manner from sustainable materials.

Investing in higher quality riding related products that last longer and are more sustainable in the long term.

It certainly seems as though the riding establishment is taking the subject of sustainability seriously. Another industry that is related to horse racing and is playing its part is bookmaking.

Bookmakers embracing sustainability

You may be used to mainly hearing about bookmakers when you are making the most of horse racing betting tips and looking for the best odds. After all, the main role of a bookmaker is to provide a reputable betting service for customers, both in-person and online. In fact, you will know that with the constant turn of events in the technology industry, we continue to have access to more and more developed tools and resources. Bookmakers are making use of these resources too, whether they be in the form of software tools like those found with PPH services, or in other ways. In fact, it is always a good idea to research this, especially being a bookmaker, as it helps to know what is pay per head how bookies make money through it. This will constantly change for the online betting scene as more of these resources come to light. However, like any responsible business, bookmakers also understand their responsibility to be dedicated to sustainability.

If you look at the websites of top bookmakers, you will see that this is the case. They provide details of the efforts that they are making including:

Using LED lighting in commercial premises.

Reducing the amount of waste produced in brick and mortar premises.

Introducing water-saving practices throughout their organisations.

It’s good to see that these companies are taking their responsibilities seriously when it comes to the efficient and sustainable use of resources.

It’s clear that the worlds of horse racing and riding understand how important it is to embrace sustainable practices if they want to help protect the planet as well as providing a much-loved pastime for people in the UK.